Remember When
by Posthumous Immortality
Summary: Leo wasn't normally one to believe in miracles, but the situation was dire. Leo x Sakura, Post-Revelations.
1. Chapter 1

**Most temples to the Dusk Dragon had fallen into disrepair due to the shrinking number of Nohrians embracing the country's traditional religion.** After all, what would continued faith accomplish if their crops still failed, and their land remained barren? There were better uses for the produce and money and time spent on ceremonies, many reasoned, including Leo himself. Despite all of that, he found himself journeying to a remote part of the country in search of a crumbling shrine hidden away in the grasslands.

This particular temple was once a popular site of pilgrimage, built hundreds of years before by an overzealous monk, with financial backing from a local lord who wanted to impose heavy taxes on foodstuffs purchased from his constituents by travelers. After a plague swept into the area, however, the temple and surrounding villages were abandoned, with its only visitors being looters, adventurers, and the occasional Nohrian prince riding through on horse.

Armed only with his legendary tome, and a steel sword with which he was out of practice, Leo had gone against his family's wishes to travel with at least another person. His only retainer had been expressly forbidden from accompanying him, and evasive maneuvers were required to shake off the, not one, but three of his siblings' retainers who were evidently told to shadow him.

It wasn't as though he was opposed to having a travelling companion. Leo certainly knew that he would be better off with someone to watch his back, but the illogical part of him discarded that in favour of being able to brood in peace. His careful planning allowed an easy exit. Once he had slipped down a narrow alley, taking a route that cut underground into the sewers, Leo ended up at a stable outside Windmire's northern gate, where he had stashed his horse the night before.

From there, he traveled northeast, following the polar star and the rising sun, and a map that he had copied from a decades-old atlas drawn on yellowing parchment and fading ink. The map did not display roads, or villages, or really anything useful for general navigation, save for some basic topography. Instead, it was a compendium of the strangest places and events that Leo's ancestors had experienced, dating back over a thousand years and updated by every generation of Nohrian royalty.

* * *

" _Leo, are you really going to spend the entire day in the library? It's your birthday, after all. The big 2-0! We should be out celebrating and having fun!"_

He rolled his eyes, hiding the smile that broke across his face by keeping his back turned to his little sister. It was nice to have his milestone acknowledged, as trivial as it was. "Are you sure that you're not just looking for an excuse to fool around, Elise? I'm still in the middle of this chapter, but of course I'm not planning on staying here for the entire day. I just wanted some peace and quiet before you and Camilla started to pester me again."

Elise clicked her tongue in dismay. "Hey! We don't pester you! After that comment, mister, I'm not sure if I want to show you your surprise anymore."

"My surprise?" Leo reluctantly marked his page, and set the book down on an end table. He stood up and stretched, scrutinizing his sister's expression for hints. "What is this about?"

"Hold your hand open in front of you, close your eyes, and keep them shut until I say so."

"Close my eyes? You aren't going to put something strange in my hand, are you?"

She pouted at him. "Not on your birthday! Just do as I say."

"Okay, okay." He complied, still bracing himself for an unpleasant experience. Instead, after a few seconds, he felt a hand, warm and free of rough calluses, placed on top of his.

"And… now you can look!"

Leo's eyes opened to see a pair of maroon ones staring back at him. Her rose-coloured hair was a little longer than he remembered, and there were traces of uncharacteristic dark circles under her eyes, but she was still his beloved Sakura.

"H-happy birthday, Leo," she whispered, smiling shyly at what was probably surprise on his face.

Wordlessly, he wrapped his arms tightly around her. She let out a tiny 'oof!' in surprise, before reciprocating and laying her head on his shoulder. Out of the corner of his eye, Leo saw his sister skip away gleefully, leaving him and Sakura alone. They held each other for some time, gently swaying in place. Eventually, he loosened his grip and stepped back to look her in the face. Her cheeks, lightly dusted with powder, were blushing a faint pink. He gently traced a path across the side of her face with his thumb, staring at her all the while. She briefly tensed at his touch, but didn't complain.

"I really missed you, Sakura."

She gazed at him adoringly. "I missed you too, Leo."

Guilt washed over him. He suddenly felt self-conscious, having to resist the impulse to adjust his hair, or straighten out his collar. "I'm sorry that I haven't been able to visit more. I wanted to be in Hoshido for your birthday, but... I was needed in Cheve and Nestra…" His weak, flimsy excuses felt sour in his mouth. The last time the couple had been together was at the very beginning of the year, over six months ago. They wrote to each other weekly, but Leo knew that regular correspondence was no substitute for being able to hold Sakura in his embrace, breathe in her flowery scent, hear her soft voice, and see her beautiful smile.

She waved her hand at his apology. "I-I'm here now, so that's what matters. Did you like my surprise?"

"I loved it," he assured her. "I assume that you enlisted Elise's help?"

"Mhm. It was her idea, and she wanted to do s-something flashier, involving um, flower petals, I think, but I wanted it to stay simple."

Leo slipped his hand into hers, intertwining their fingers. She squeezed her hand in response. "How long are you staying in Nohr?" he asked.

She pulled on his arm, guiding him towards the hallway. "At least a week, although I'm sure that Ryoma will understand if I stay longer." A bright smile arched across her face. "Sh-shall we go for a walk? There's so much I want to tell you."

* * *

 **A drizzle of warm rain at sunset had turned into a proper downpour an hour later, forcing Leo to abandon his plans of traveling through the night.** He took shelter underneath a grove of scraggly trees, which only partially kept the rainwater from sliding off leaves and dripping on him. His horse, a dark grey stallion with a white blaze on its forehead, was already lying down beside to him. Leo curled up in his cloak to stay warm, shielded from the wind by the great beast. Overhead, the moon's light barely peeked through the rainclouds. As he drifted off, his mind wandered.

* * *

 _Leo was still a little apprehensive about wandering alone through Hoshido's capital as a Nohrian, even three years after the assassination of Queen Mikoto._ By that point, it was well-known that the Silent Dragon Anankos was responsible for the explosion that destroyed the city square and killed dozens of people, but that didn't erase the decades of animosity between his country and Hoshido. It didn't surprise him in the slightest when some merchants and locals eyed him with suspicion as he slipped in and out of the crowds, making for Castle Shirasagi.

It was the mid-autumn festival in Hoshido, and on Sakura's invitation, Leo had traveled to the capital to see her. They had spent a few peaceful days together, reading, talking, and enjoying each other's company. Earlier in the day, she had shooed him off so she could assist in the final preparations for the celebration. As much as he wanted to help, Leo's lack of knowledge in Hoshidan customs was apparent, and there was little for him to do. Sakura had asked him to return by sunset so they could explore the festival together.

As he navigated through the cobbled streets, the smell of frying meat and strange spices assailed his nose. The mass of bodies, which at some points had forced him to shuffle forward at a snail's pace, thinned as he approached the castle. A man moving in the opposite direction stepped deliberately into Leo's path. At the same time, a pair of hands shoved him from behind.

"Damn you Nohrian scum, get the hell out of here!"

He stumbled, but didn't lose his balance completely. As he steadied himself, his eyes darted back and forth to look at his attackers. Both were dark-haired young men, their faces red and eyes angry. Leo had seen enough drunk people to recognize the signs of intoxication. In their dazes, it was probably his blond hair, a trait practically nonexistent in Hoshido, that had made him their target.

"If you'll excuse me, gentlemen…" he said in an even tone.

"Like hell we'd let you just leave," one of men exclaimed, his words slurring together. "What are you planning to do now, murder our king? Prince Takumi? One of our princesses? At least they aren't whores like Nohrian women are!"

Leo exhaled sharply through his nose, and began to reach under his cloak for his tome. He kept his voice level, despite the seed of anger beginning to grow inside of him. "Don't give me an excuse to hurt you."

Sensing danger, bystanders began to scurry away from the commotion. Although the men were unarmed, dimwitted, and clumsy, it was still two of them to one of him. Leo was certain that the Hoshidans wouldn't appreciate a tree growing in the middle of their pathway, but he wasn't going to fight hand-to-hand when at a numbers disadvantage.

The same man marched towards him until their faces were inches apart. Spittle flew, and the stench of rice wine wafted forward. "What are you going to fucking do then, huh? Who do you think you—"

"Leo! There are you are!"

He found it satisfying to see the astonishment on the two drunks' faces, as one of their beloved princess appeared behind him. Sakura quickly got up on her tiptoes, and kissed Leo on the cheek. He was still watching his assailants as they displayed obvious panic and began to edge away, but he couldn't miss her deep red blush out the corner of his eye. When the two men had finally disappeared, he finally allowed himself to take in the sight of his sweetheart.

She was wearing a kimono made from glossy white silk that flowed down to her ankles. Red and orange seven-pointed leaves were dyed into the garment on one side. Her rose-coloured hair, which normally brushed the tops of her shoulders, was pinned up in a tight bun.

"Leo…" she began slowly, fidgeting with her long sleeves. "Were those men doing what I think they were doing?"

"Yes. They were no real threat to me," he reassured her.

Sakura let out a defeated sigh, hanging her head. "I've been trying to stop all of these silly grudges, but there are always a few that refuse to listen. I don't know what to do."

Leo gently tilted her chin up. "It's hardly a problem exclusive to Hoshido. Some people will always be stubborn, Sakura. You shouldn't worry about them when you've already done so much for both of our countries."

It made Leo feel a little condescending to remind Sakura of things that he was certain she already knew. Still, when she worked herself into a self-loathing mood, it was hard to talk her out of it.

"B-but I can never get the daimyos to cooperate on their own volition. Ryoma almost always has to threaten them, and they're getting unhappy with us. Without their support, we won't be able to supply Nohr, and then what will you—"

"Sakura, please, stop that." Leo placed his hands on her shoulders. "You are overthinking this."

"I'm just sc-scared, Leo." Her voice hitched, distress bringing about her stutter. "I'm scared of losing this peace. I'm scared of having you taken away from me."

"I will always come back to you, Sakura, no matter what happens. I promise."

* * *

 **The rain had cleared away by the time Leo woke.** With the grass still slick, and the sun barely peeking over the horizon, he mounted his horse and continued on his way. Absentmindedly, he gnawed on some beef jerky stored in his saddlebags. It was tasted like dry, like dust. A sip from his waterskin allowed him to get the food down. He wasn't even feeling hungry, but then again, Leo hadn't enjoyed eating anything for the past three weeks. After days of hard travel, and more to come, he had to keep his strength up, and that was the only reason he made an effort to maintain his own health.

The dot he was following sat alone in the northern regions of Nohr. Written underneath in his neat, slanted script, was a brief description of the place: _spring that restores the memory of those who had lost it._

The credibility of claim was questionable. The prince who originally added the marking onto the map had been notorious for his tall tales. The point itself was so remote that no later generations had attempted to verify its legitimacy. But Leo, for all of his skepticism, was pinning his hopes on it.

It was all that he could do, really.

* * *

 **(1/2)**

 **1: 20-0, 19-2. 2: 20-4, 19-6. (L, S)**

 **The only thing that projects more than me is a projector.**

 **Coincidentally, the only thing besides me that could screw up well-established characters is also a projector.**


	2. Chapter 2

_State banquets were rare occasions in Nohr._ With the exception of the traditional winter solstice ball, there was never a reason to invite the entire Nohrian court to Krakenburg. In the past, when important allies of the country had conducted visits to the capital for diplomatic discussions, it was standard for them to be greeted by Nohrian nobility. The practice had died off in recent decades, when more meetings began to take place in neutral territories, like Izumo.

So it struck Leo as odd when his brother insisted that they gather the court to receive a delegation of Hoshidan diplomats that included Sakura and Prince Takumi, two days after their arrival. It had been four years since the two countries' royal families set aside their differences to defeat the Silent Dragon in Valla. Relations were warmer than ever before, what with a strong friendship between Elise and Sakura, as well as Leo's (mostly) private courtship of the younger Hoshidan princess.

He wasn't exactly opposed to the idea, as annoying as the aristocracy could be. Xander had also mentioned offhand an announcement that he wanted to make to them personally, so Leo reasoned that his brother had simply chosen to combine the two events when the opportunity arose. The purpose of the announcement, however, was still a mystery to everyone except the king himself.

"Xander. I'm interested in what you plan to say at dinner tonight. None of your advisors appear to know, and both Camilla and Elise are in the dark as well. Surely it would be a good idea to at least revise your script with someone else first."

The pointed crown of black iron that rested on his older brother's head glinted as the man turned around. With the hair around his temples already losing their luster to stress, and the fur-trimmed cape around his shoulders, Xander was starting to remind Leo of the late King Garon. His brother's knowing smile was much warmer, though. "I meant to keep it a secret from them, but there isn't harm in telling you. It's your engagement, after all."

The sentence took Leo completely by surprise. "My engagement?"

"Yes," Xander replied, in a matter-of-fact tone. "To Princess Sakura."

Leo continued to stare at him blankly.

His brother looked at him incredulously. "You haven't proposed to her yet? Leo, I saw you purchase a ring almost a year ago. I assumed that by now the two of you were engaged, and decided to keep quiet about it until a better time. With both the Hoshidans and the court in Krakenburg, I thought you would choose to announce it tonight. That was the entire purpose of inviting the court."

"I... I haven't found the correct time yet." It was obviously a lie. Leo had tried to work up the nerve to ask Sakura for her hand on at least three occasions, and every time, he found a way to convince himself to wait. The first time, he reasoned that without the explicit permission of her eldest brother, he risked being bisected by Hoshido's holy sword (nevermind that King Ryoma had already, privately, implied his approval of Leo with minimal threats of violence). There were too many people around the second time, he had thought, believing that Sakura would be too embarrassed to respond if he were to propose in public (ignoring that she was the more affectionate one, even in full view of others). And just the night before, he changed the topic when he came to the sudden conclusion that she would be more comfortable if he proposed in Hoshido (only moments after she made him promise to show her and Takumi other parts of Nohr).

Xander's face was one of annoyance. "That is a poor excuse, Leo. Why are you having second thoughts about this?"

It pained him to admit his fear, which had quietly crept up on him as his relationship with Sakura progressed. With his thoughts no longer occupied with strategy, battle formations, and diplomacy, he was given more time to observe other things, including other couples. "I'm afraid. I love her, and I know that she loves me in return, but what if that changes with time? There are so many loveless marriages in Nohr that I fear they are an inevitable outcome."

"I've seen false love before, Leo. I see it all the time when nobles bring their spouses to the solstice ball. They are always formal with one another, polite, saying 'Lord husband,' or 'Lady wife.' Only one couple out of the dozens ever kissed, or hugged, or held hands in public, and even then it seemed fake. What you and Sakura have is so much greater than any of that, and unless you are deliberately stringing her along—" His brother's stare suddenly intensified. "—there is no reason for you to fear that so-called inevitability."

Turning dramatically on his heel, Xander strode away, leaving Leo's mind in turmoil.

He was distracted all through the banquet, prodding at his food. The pink-haired princess beside him glanced repeatedly at him as the dishes were being cleared away.

"Something is on your mind, Leo," she finally declared. It wasn't a question, but a statement.

He blinked once, and then shook his head. "Nothing is bothering me, Sakura."

Her eyes shone with concern, seeing through Leo's attempt at nonchalance. "Th-there's something worrying you. I can tell. You don't have to hide it from me. What's wrong?"

Instead of answering, he slid his chair back and stood. At the front of the room, Xander was already standing, lightly tapping on a glass. The older man's piercing gaze was on him, something Leo didn't have to see to know. "I'm going for a walk. Would you like to join me?"

Sakura seemed taken aback by his sudden change in subject, but rose to her feet anyway. "I-isn't your brother's speech important?"

Leo felt the square box in his pocket weighing down on his entire being. He gently led Sakura out of the banquet hall, towards the castle courtyard. "No, it isn't."

* * *

 **Cobblestones, with blades of grass sprouting up in between them, began to emerge from the earth.** When Leo crested a hill, the small, crumbling structure of the temple appeared on the horizon. To the west of it, the wooden remains of a small market were still present, as was a tiny hut. As expected, the entire area was free of human life. Even the signs of looters scavenging for valuables in the rubble had disappeared over the years.

Leaving a few yards of slack on the rope, Leo tied his horse to a fence post that seemed to be securely planted in the ground. He approached the temple on foot, a glass vial clutched in his hand. A carving of the Dusk Dragon was recessed into the moss-covered stone archway. Its eyes seemed to follow him as he passed underneath.

The interior of the temple had been emptied of its finery. Only faded murals, depicting the First Dragons at war with one another, and the bonding of the Dusk Dragon to Leo's ancestors, remained untouched.

Following the instructions he had scrawled onto the back of his map, Leo brushed away moss with his boot, and carefully pried up a false section of the floor, revealing a ladder that led into the darkness. He climbed down without hesitation.

* * *

 _Two young men sat, silent, in a chamber outside the castle infirmary_. Their postures were similar. Hunched forward on their wooden chairs, heads in their hands, fingers twitching, and feet tapping nervously. Years ago, if anyone had pointed out how alike they were, it would have immediately provoked two voices vehemently declaring otherwise. In the time since, both had matured, making peace with their common interests, hobbies, and now love for a person lying completely unresponsive in a bed on the other side of the door.

Leo's mind was trapped in a loop, constantly replaying the fateful day that Sakura fell into a coma. For weeks, she had suffered from piercing migraines and a tightness in her chest. Her smile had faded to a weary line, and her energy levels dropped until she could barely stand for a few hours. An examination from Elise and a second opinion from a castle doctor found no obvious cause of her symptoms. It wasn't until Leo was awaken one morning by an inexplicable feeling of dread that he found his wife as still as a stone beside him. No amount of noise or physical stimuli could elicit a reaction from her.

He cursed himself for not taking her complaints seriously. It wasn't often that Sakura voiced her problems, and Leo had dismissed her symptoms as something that could be solved with bed rest.

When the rest of her family had received word of her illness, Prince Takumi had flown by pegasus to Krakenburg, where he stayed by his sister's bedside for hours on end. There was no misunderstanding about the cause of her coma, only a silent acknowledgement that there was nothing he could do but wait. Two weeks after Sakura had slipped into indefinite unconsciousness, her condition began to shift. Frustrated by the two men constantly getting in their way, her healers, led by Elise, had forbidden Leo and Takumi from entering the infirmary.

The voices from beyond the door grew louder, and the sound of footsteps approaching made both royals look up. The door was eased open, and Elise poked her head out. Without saying anything, she beckoned for Takumi, and the Hoshidan immediately jumped up and slipped past her. Leo was prepared to follow him when, without warning, Elise stepped out of the infirmary completely and closed the door behind her.

"Leo… I think you should wait a moment before seeing Sakura."

He almost didn't recognize his hoarse tone. "What? What happened to her, Elise? I'm her husband, I have the right—"

"Leo!" his sister shouted, uncharacteristically forceful. Her violet eyes were glistening, as though she was on the verge of crying. "Please, listen to me. If you want to see her, I need to you to promise me that you won't be too… familiar with her. Too intimate."

He stared at her in disbelief. "Of course I will exercise restraint. Recovering from her ordeal is the most important thing for her right now, and—"

"No! You don't understand, Leo. When…" Elise wiped her nose, sniffling quietly. "When she was able to speak in full sentences again… Sakura asked me where her siblings were. She asked me where her m-mother was."

Leo felt icy cold inside. His heart dropped to the floor, shattering to pieces.

"A-and then I asked her how old she was. She said she was s-sixteen years old." The dam broke, and tears began to flow down Elise's face, but Leo couldn't see them through his own blurred vision. "You get it now, right? She doesn't r-remember anything from the past seven years."

* * *

 **With a murmured incantation, a tiny ball of fire appeared in the air, lighting up underground passage.** The air was stale after essentially no circulation for decades. Leo ignored the musty smell and hastily walked further down the hallway.

According to stories, a future king of Nohr, then the seventeen year-old son of the crown prince, had fallen from a battlement and suffered a head injury. Upon regaining consciousness after two days, the boy was left with only a faint recollection of the prior six months. Hearing a tale of a sacred spring in the basement of a temple, the boy's uncle had traveled north to find it and, allegedly, cured his nephew's amnesia using a flask filled with water from there.

The amnesia suffered by the boy was real, recorded in the diaries of advisors and castle doctors, but no other source had confirmed or denied the truth of the spring's restorative powers. For all that Leo knew, the story was a lie, and the boy had simply recovered over time. Compared to the gaps in Sakura's memory, it was a minor ailment anyway.

The hallway began to widen into a room. Leo channeled more energy into his spell, forcing the flame to grow brighter and illuminate every corner of the chamber. In the center was a freestanding circular pool made from stone bricks.

Leo hurried towards it, pulling the vial from his belt. He hear didn't any water flowing or bubbling, but perhaps it was just a still pool—

"What?"

It was bone dry. Empty. Completely devoid of liquid. Even if water from the spring had the power to restore lost memory, it meant nothing if there was no water for him to take. He couldn't fix Sakura's condition. He couldn't even prove the legitimacy of his ancestor's 'miraculous' recovery.

In his despair, the vial was thrown from his hand, spiked into the ground violently. Countless shards of glass littered the floor, joining the pieces of Leo's broken heart.

* * *

" _As soon as she's recovered, I'm taking her back home."_

Leo couldn't work up the energy to respond. His siblings had tactfully chosen to leave him alone, avoiding the library and his rooms, but Prince Takumi had evidently not realized that he wasn't in the mood to discuss anything related to Sakura's memory loss. His hopes that it was only a temporary condition were dashed the moment he was finally composed enough to see her. She had been awake for two days by then, but did not recognize Leo at all. Instead of being the sweet, graceful, and confident woman that she had grown into over seven years, Sakura had reverted back to the stuttering and painfully nervous personality he had originally observed when the Hoshido-Nohr conflict began. It had taken all of his willpower not storm out of her room in that moment, crying tears of grief and frustration.

"Did you hear me, Leo? I know that you won't like it, but—"

"I heard you, and I understand and agree wholeheartedly with your decision."

Takumi seemed surprised at how easily he gave in. "I thought that you would at least argue with me… Even if just for old times' sake."

"Why should you give me a say in her life when I mean nothing to her?" Leo laughed bitterly. "You cannot even begin to understand how it feels when the person I loved for six years, and who loved me back the entire time, wakes up and doesn't even know that I exist. I truly hope you never have to understand how I feel, Takumi. It is more crushing than having a mother who never loved me, or a father who only saw me as an instrument of war, or siblings who tried to kill me, because I never cared for them the way I cared about Sakura. She could be right here in front of me, and she would still be out of my reach."

"So you're just going to give up on her, then?" Takumi's tone grew angry, and Leo finally looked up to see the other prince glaring at him. "I didn't grant you permission to marry my sister just so you could quit after the first bump in the road."

"I never asked for your approval."

Takumi let out an irritated huff. "That's beside the point! What I'm telling you is that you shouldn't lose hope now. Try something, anything, to make her remember. I don't care how stupid the idea sounds, because I…" His voice cracked, and Leo realized that, although Sakura remembered her brother, Takumi had still lost the past seven years with her. "I miss the Sakura I know. I don't want to watch her grow up for a second time."

"Anything…" Leo echoed thoughtfully. "Even if it's based on some ridiculous, unproven story?"

"Whatever it takes," Takumi reaffirmed. "I'll be trying whatever I can, too."

Leo squeezed his hands together and exhaled heavily. "I have research to do, then."

"Wait. One more thing." Takumi briefly seemed unsure of himself, but shook his head and smiled resignedly. "It won't bring back what you— what we, lost, but… If nothing works, then who says you can't make her fall in love with you again? She's worth another shot, right?"

Chuckling, though only to give the false impression that he was feeling better, Leo replied, "Must I even answer that? Of course she is."

That night, he made preparations to leave the castle. Wearing a cloak to place a shadow across his face, he led his horse through the deserted streets of Windmire and rented a stable on the city outskirts. After digging through his chests, he found the sword, still wrapped in layers of cloth, that he had last wielded six years before, in Valla. Finally, in the library, an old atlas that he had first perused as a twelve year-old. His quill scratched into parchment endlessly as the candles burned down beside and the moon rose outside. The morning found Leo slumped over a desk, asleep, a finished map lying on the table beside him.

* * *

 **There was no one waiting to welcome Leo home.** It made sense, as he had left without mentioning where he was going, or for how long he would be gone. The sun had passed its apex when Leo finally crossed the bridge into the castle. He could have gone to the library and furiously restarted his research into memory loss cures once again, or to the guest chambers to report his failure to Takumi, or even to his own room to collapse onto a real bed again. Instead, he decided to brood in the courtyard.

He sat down on one end of a wooden bench, and stared down at the gold band on his left ring finger. In a sudden fit of frustration, he pulled it off, whipped it away and watched it sail into the dirt. Years ago, the two youngest princesses had planted flowers in a corner of the courtyard. They had carted in dirt from beyond Windmire, which were followed by boxes of tiny flower bulbs. In addition to native roses and lilies, the Hoshidan princess had planted azaleas and chrysanthemums. Despite the odd combination, and best efforts of the Nohrian climate to kill them, they had survived. It was a shame, Leo mused, that he could not say the same about his marriage.

"E-excuse me… Doesn't this belong to you, Pr-prince Leo?"

She was both the first and the last person that Leo wanted to see. Unaware of how her presence was tormenting him, Sakura offered her hand towards him, with the ring he had thrown aside lying in her palm. He plucked the ring out of her hand, closing his hand over it tightly.

"It does."

She looked at him in confusion. "I-if it's yours, why did you want to get rid of it? Isn't it important to you?"

"It's a reminder of someone," he replied softly. "Every time I see it, I think of them, and it hurts."

Her mouth became an 'o'. "I'm so s-sorry! I didn't m-mean to pry…"

Leo was reminded of his first conversations with Sakura. She had the same timid, unsure demeanor that he thought she had left in the past. Always apologizing, even if she wasn't at fault. "It's alright. You didn't know better." He patted beside him. "Sit. I doubt that you're strong enough to stand for too long after staying in bed for two weeks."

After a bit of hesitation, Sakura sat down on the bench, maintaining a polite gap in between them. "Is the person you're talking about… the one you don't want to think about… is it m-me?"

Leo stared ahead stonily and tried to dodge the topic. "Has your brother been talking to you about me?"

"No!" she exclaimed. A second later, looking ashamed about her outburst, Sakura continued in a quieter tone, "N-no, he hasn't. I'm s-sorry for saying something so presumptuous, I just had a feeling that—"

"No, no," Leo blurted out finally. "Your suspicion was correct. This ring was a symbol of our marriage. I loved you. I still do, Sakura."

Her face crumpled, and she shrank away from him. "I… I… I don't know h-how I should be feeling r-right now."

"You don't have feel any specific way. I don't expect you to love me back, and I've accepted that our relationship is irreparable now. It's not your fault that your forgot. I'm sorry that I put this burden on you so suddenly." Leo berated himself internally for his poor handling of the topic. He couldn't face Sakura anymore than she could face him. Rising quickly, he tried to leave before either of them burst into tears.

"L-Leo, wait, please." Sakura stood up and grabbed his hand, her fingers wrapping around his. "If… If I loved you once, then why can't I l-love you again?"

He shook his head, still avoiding her gaze. "I don't want you to feel obligated to love me, Sakura. It's not fair to you."

"I don't feel obligated!" She stepped closer to him and took hold of his other hand, forcing him to turn around. "W-would you like to know how I'm feeling right now? I feel at peace, Leo. I'm not s-sure why, but I want to find out. Will you show me?"

" _Who says you can't make her fall in love with you again? She's worth another shot, right?"_

Takumi's words resonated through his head. "How about…" Leo began slowly. "How about we start with a stroll? We could speak about happier times, the ones you forgot. Is that okay?"

Sakura smiled at him, genuinely. "It sounds wonderful."

* * *

 **(2/2)**

 **[Ages: Years-Months] Flashback 1: 22-8, 21-10. Present: 24-2, 23-4. (Leo, Sakura)**

 **This story started off with a clear direction. Then I got lost along the way, and it turned into a series of vaguely-connected, weak, filler paragraphs. Wonderful. Also, out of character characters, once again.**


End file.
